Healthy Snack Treats For Dogs

Many a times you must have noticed that your dog will eagerly eat a Treat but will grouch over a bowl of kibble. But while a kid’s idea of treat is a pack full of chips or a bar of chocolate, a dog eating a portion of scrumptious meat. Treat can be quite healthy and good.

Homemade natural treats or good quality doggie snacks are good options to keep your dog content and happy. But always keep in mind that Treats should never be more than 10% of your dog’s diet. Too much intake of Treats will make your dog overweight and deprive him of actual regular doggie meals.

There are different types of treats available in your local pet store or supermarket. Before you make any purchase, always peruse through the ingredients to be certain that your dog is getting the best nutrition from their snack and not a whole lot of junk and harmful chemicals. Read between the lines even if you can.

You can choose any of the following Treats for your dog:

Low-Fat Treats

Such Treats are low in fat, cholesterol and has minimum calorie count. These Low Fat Dog Treats made with high quality proteins and harvest fresh fruits, vegetables and multi-grains. These treats are best for senior, overweight or ailing dogs.

Dental Treats

I am sure your pet loves dog biscuits, they all do. They would love to chew on a crunchy piece of biscuit for hours. These Treats are specially formulated to control tarter, gum diseases and prevent tooth decay. Those biscuits that are hard chews encourage your dog to use their teeth. This acts as good teeth cleaners and removes bad breath.

These biscuits come in various shapes and sizes as well as flavors. Some are even typically bone-shaped to make them look more attractive.

Chewy Treats

Chew bone treats are quite common. These healthy snacks come in different sizes and flavors. A chew bone will easily keep your dog busy for hours and make him content. Make certain that this chew bone is made of all-natural healthy ingredients without any harmful chemicals or additives. If you have put your dog on a diet, then giving your dog a chew bone Treat will be a great idea.

Healthy Treats

Formulated by vets, these Treats contain medicines to cure disorders like heartworm prevention, antibiotics, painkillers, indigestion, etc. Dogs who simply refuse to take any kind of medicine would not mind to have a snack containing a dose of medication. These treats also serve as proper diet supplements. Some treats make improve your dog’s bad behavior, so will make him more energetic, active and agile.

Beauty Treats

Such Treats soothes irritated skin from inside out and gives a healing beauty boost to your dog’s pelt. It makes your dog’s skin shiny, glossy and germ-free. These Treats also reduces excessive shedding, dander, and flaky skin and controls odor.

Protein Treats

These Treats are made of meats like beef, chicken or turkey. These Treats are high in protein content. Dogs who need high dose of protein in their diet can be fed these Treats. However, always check the pack for low-calorie count. Your dog would love to chew on a hard and crunchy meaty Treat after a good romp and play.

Training Treats

Training treats are nothing but treats that are used as rewards while you are training your dog. Treat training is considered as one of the motivational training techniques. It encourages positive reinforcement without hurting your dog’s sentiments. You will also make your dog do what you want by bribing him with something he wants.

Dog Trainers use this method to teach the dogs to obey commands like SIT, COME, STAND, etc. Treat training is also used while potty training dogs and correcting bad behavior.

Homemade Treats

Homemade Treats are made at home using home-based ingredients. There are both downside as well as up side to this. When you prepare a homemade doggie biscuit you use all the natural ingredients, so you know what is going into it.

However, the downside to this is, many dog owners tend to go over the board and ignore the calorie counts. This is extremely important. Most Snacks available in pet stores contain well-balanced ingredients. There are also fat-free or low-fat Treats present. A small note of advice. Check with your dog’s vet before you feed your dog a homemade Treat.

Table Scraps

No matter how much you try to avoid giving this kind of snack to your dog, you simply can’t. Even if you don’t you child might pass a small portion of chicken or beef slice. Most pet dogs tend to gain weight due to a regular nosh of table scraps. What owners forget is that human foods are always high in calorie and fat content, which is dangerous for your dog. It contains spices, oils and condiments that are a big NO-NO for your pet.

Next time your dog gives you a pleading look, do not succumb. Instead when you sit down to eat at the table, keep a dog chew or a bone with you. When your dog asks for a treat, break a piece of the doggie Treat and feed him. This way your dog will not feel left out.